The news editor of the Independent on Sunday has suddenly left just weeks away from the title’s expected relaunch as a tabloid.
Staff
are said to be shocked at the way Rob Mendick has been treated after
two years in the job. According to insiders Mendick never got on well
personally with the editor, Tristan Davies.
A journalist with
close links to the IoS newsroom said: “People think he’s been treated
really shabbily and can’t believe this could happen on that paper.
People suspected he might be moved, but were shocked to find this
happened.
“Even people that weren’t Rob’s best mate thought the way in which it was done was really shabby.”
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According
to IoS insiders, Mendick was summoned to see the human resources
manager, who had the editor with him, and left the paper shortly
afterwards.
The Independent on Sunday ‘s NUJ chapel has passed a motion condemning what it called Mendick’s “unfair dismissal”.
Mendick is understood to be in negotiations over a payout. Davies declined to comment on his departure.
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Meanwhile
the Independent on Sunday is understood to be preparing to follow its
daily stablemate by switching to a tabloid format.
Insiders say
the latest planned date for the switch is early March, but that it has
been previously delayed and could be put back further by the exit of
the news editor from what is already a comparitively small editorial
team.
● At the Daily Telegraph, news editor of two-and-half-years
standing Fiona Barton has decided to move back to the Daily Mail as a
senior writer.
Before joining the Telegraph, Barton spent more than 12 years at the Mail on Sunday where she rose to chief reporter.
She was reporter of the year at the British Press Awards in 2002.
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